Dirt to Data: Data Centers and AI Infrastructure

Suhail Tayyeb
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AI isn't weightless. It runs on concrete, cooling, and community consent. Dirt to Data is Suhail Tayyeb's ongoing analysis of the real estate, power, and infrastructure decisions behind data centers and AI. He built PACTS and the AI Infrastructure Decision Language to test whether a specific opportunity is real, or just announced. Suhail is director of NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

  1. 21h ago

    Why a Permit Is Not the Same as Permission

    A permit is something an agency gives you. Permission is something much bigger. Suhail introduces DLPT, Discretion, Legitimacy, Process Depth, and Tradeoffs, the deeper approvals diagnostic behind PACTS, and explains why durable permission has effectively become infrastructure. Dirt to Data is hosted by Suhail Tayyeb, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. Dirt to Data: ⁠⁠https://fromdirttodata.com⁠⁠ Suhail Tayyeb: ⁠⁠https://suhailtayyeb.com

  2. 3d ago

    Why Power Timing Is Harder Than Power Availability

    The utility, the developer, and the customer can all say they're on schedule and still miss each other completely. Suhail closes out GTSQT with Timeline Certainty and makes the case that in AI infrastructure, power isn't simply electricity. It's electricity plus time. Dirt to Data is hosted by Suhail Tayyeb, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. Dirt to Data: ⁠https://fromdirttodata.com⁠ Suhail Tayyeb: ⁠https://suhailtayyeb.com

  3. 6d ago ·  Bonus

    The AI Infrastructure Shock: Why Compute, Power and Capital Are Out of Sync | Live Keynote

    Compute is moving at software speed. Infrastructure is not. Recorded live at the NYU Data Center & AI Infrastructure Forum on October 7, 2026, this special Dirt to Data episode features my opening keynote, The AI Infrastructure Shock. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is creating a synchronization challenge across compute, power, capital, construction, and permission. Announced projects are multiplying, but turning those announcements into operational infrastructure requires far more than land and a megawatt figure. In this keynote, I examine why a site is not a project, why power is not the same as deliverable capacity, how permission has become infrastructure, why the Missing Middle matters, and what separates demand from bankable projects. I also explore how accelerating compute cycles could affect long-term infrastructure investments and where durable value may ultimately accrue. Recorded: October 7, 2026 | New York City Dirt to Data: https://fromdirttodata.com Suhail Tayyeb: https://suhailtayyeb.com

  4. Oct 8

    Why Queue Position Can Be More Valuable Than Land

    Two developers can control nearly identical parcels and still own completely different opportunities. Suhail goes deeper on Queue Position, the fourth letter of GTSQT, and explains why years of infrastructure progress, not acreage, can be the scarcest and most valuable asset in a constrained power market. Dirt to Data is hosted by Suhail Tayyeb, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

  5. Oct 6

    Why the Substation May Be the Real Bottleneck

    A substation next door looks like proof of power. It's actually just proof that infrastructure exists. Suhail covers Substation Readiness, the third letter of GTSQT, and why transformer capacity, configuration, and age can quietly turn a headline power number into a much smaller near-term opportunity. Dirt to Data is hosted by Suhail Tayyeb, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

  6. Oct 1

    Why Transmission Can Kill a Powered Site

    There can be plenty of electricity in a region and still no way to get it to your property. Suhail unpacks Transmission Capacity, the second letter of GTSQT, and explains why a transmission line crossing the parcel tells you almost nothing about whether the grid can actually carry your load. Dirt to Data⁠ is hosted by ⁠Suhail Tayyeb⁠, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

  7. Sep 29

    Where Does the Electricity Actually Come From?

    Electricity doesn't begin at the substation. Somewhere upstream, someone has to generate it. Suhail goes deep on Generation Availability, the first letter of GTSQT, and explains why a data center energizing in 2030 has to be evaluated against the power system that will exist in 2030, not today's. Dirt to Data⁠ is hosted by ⁠Suhail Tayyeb⁠, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

  8. Sep 24

    Why a Power Claim Is Not a Power Solution

    Someone tells you a site has 100 megawatts available. That's not an answer. It's the start of an investigation. Suhail introduces GTSQT, the deeper power diagnostic behind PACTS (Generation Availability, Transmission Capacity, Substation Readiness, Queue Position, and Timeline Certainty), and why "available" is one of the most dangerous words in data center development. Dirt to Data⁠ is hosted by ⁠Suhail Tayyeb⁠, Director at NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

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About

AI isn't weightless. It runs on concrete, cooling, and community consent. Dirt to Data is Suhail Tayyeb's ongoing analysis of the real estate, power, and infrastructure decisions behind data centers and AI. He built PACTS and the AI Infrastructure Decision Language to test whether a specific opportunity is real, or just announced. Suhail is director of NYU's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment and a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

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